Anfípodos en sedimentos de cuevas submarinas del Sur de la Península Ibérica: diversidad y distribución ecológica

The present study explores the amphipod assemblages of six marine caves on the Mediterranean coast of southern Spain. Replicate samples were taken both inside and outside each marine cave in order to characterize the amphipod fauna and the physicochemical properties of the sediment. As a result, 44 amphipods species were identified. The high number of species found in a relatively limited area highlighted the richness of the Alboran Sea fauna, which is mainly due to the mixture of species from different biogeographic areas. Harpinia genus was the dominant amphipod taxa inside marine caves and Perioculodes longimanus was also very abundant in the caverns. On the other hand, external communities were dominated by Siphonoecetes sabatieri, Metaphoxus fultoni and Photis longipes. There was a high degree of variability in both the internal and the external stations. Only the external station situated at low-medium depth showed a relatively homogeneous amphipod assemblage. The structure and behaviour of soft-bottom communities inside marine caves is difficult to predict because their environmental conditions depend on a particular combination of factors such as topography, depth and orientation. Therefore, no constant patterns were observed for species richness, Shannon diversity and abundance of amphipods in marine caves in comparison with open habitats. According to canonical correspondence analysis, sediment granulometry, organic matter and nitrogen concentration were the parameters that best explained the distribution of amphipods. Species were also classified by their tolerance to environmental pollution according to criteria followed by the Azti Marine Biotic Index and the BENTIX index. The great abundance of sensitive species at both the internal and external stations indicates the good ecological quality of the soft bottom studied. However, the suitability of biotic indices in marine caves should be tested in future studies.En el presente trabajo se estudia la fauna de anfípodos presente en el sustrato blando de seis cuevas submarinas de la costa Mediterránea del sur de España. Con el objetivo de caracterizar tanto la comunidad biótica como las características físico-químicas del sedimento, se tomaron muestras de sedimento a la salida y en el interior de las cuevas submarinas. Como resultado, se identificaron un total de cuarenta y cuatro especies de anfípodos diferentes. Este elevado número de especies encontrado en un área relativamente limitada pone de manifiesto la riqueza faunística del Mar de Alborán, la cual se atribuye principalmente a la mezcla de especies de diferentes áreas biogeográficas. El género Harpinia fue el taxón dominante en el interior de las cuevas, junto con Perioculodes longimanus. Por otro lado, la comunidad en las zonas externas estaba dominada por Siphonoecetes sabatieri, Metaphoxus fultoni y Photis longipes. Se observó un alto grado de variabilidad tanto en las estaciones internas como externas. Solo las estaciones externas situadas a profundidades bajas-medias mostraron una fauna relativamente homogénea. La estructura y el comportamiento de las comunidades que habitan los sustratos blandos en el interior de cuevas submarinas es difícil de predecir, ya que las condiciones ambientales dependen de sus particulares características en cuanto a topografía, profundidad y orientación. Por ello, no ha podido extraerse ningún patrón constante de la comparación de comunidades internas y externas para el número de especies, diversidad de Shannon o abundancia de anfípodos. La granulometría y los porcentajes de materia orgánica y nitrógeno en el sedimento fueron los parámetros que mejor explicaban la distribución de los anfípodos, de acuerdo con los resultados del análisis CCA. Las especies también fueron clasificadas en base a su tolerancia a la polución ambiental, siguiendo los criterios establecidos por los índices AMBI y BENTIX. La gran abundancia de especies sensibles refleja el buen estado ecológico de los sedimentos estudiados. Sin embargo, la aplicabilidad de los índices bióticos en cuevas submarinas debería ser testada en futuros estudios.Financial support for this work was provided by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Project CGL 2011-22474, internal reference 2011-707). It was cofinanced by FEDER funds of the European Union and by the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo, Junta de Andalucía (Project P11-RNM-7041)

Estado de conservación de Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) (Anthozoa, Alcyonacea) en las islas Chafarinas (mar Mediterráneo)

The red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) is affected by the combined effects of environmental stress factors and diseases in the Mediterranean area. Samplings at different depths in two sites of Chafarinas Islands (South–Western Mediterranean Sea) were carried out to quantify the degree of injuries on red gorgonian colonies. The results showed that shallow colonies displayed a higher rate of injuries than deep colonies. Overall, the conservation status of the population was worse than previously considered in this area.En la zona del Mediterráneo, la gorgonia roja Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) sufre los efectos combinados de factores de estrés ambiental e infecciones. Se realizaron muestras a diferentes profundidades en dos sitios de las islas Chafarinas (mar Mediterráneo sudoccidental) para cuantificar el grado de daño que presentaban las colonias. Los resultados mostraron que las colonias de aguas más superficiales presentaban una mayor tasa de daño que las colonias de aguas más profundas. En conjunto, el estado de conservación de la población era peor de lo que se había considerado previamente en esta zona

The Punta de la Mona Rhodolith Bed: Shallow-Water Mediterranean Rhodoliths (Almuñecar, Granada, Southern Spain)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS DAR work was funded by EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 813360. We would like to thank Isabel Sánchez for facilitating the SEMimaging remotely. We are grateful to two reviewers whose comments helped to improve the article.FUNDING This work was partly funded by the Junta de Andalucía Research Group RNM 190.SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.884685/ full#supplementary-materialShallow-water rhodolith beds are rare in the Mediterranean Sea and generally poorly known. The Punta de la Mona rhodolith bed extends for 16,000 square meters in shallow and oligotrophic waters at the southern coast of Spain, off Almuñecar in the Alborán Sea. We present a detailed analysis of the structure (rhodolith cover and density, rhodolith size and shape, sediment granulometry) and morphospecies composition of the bed along a depth gradient. A stratified sampling was carried out at six depths (9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 m), estimating rhodolith cover and abundance; rhodoliths were collected from one 30 by 30 cm quadrat for each transect, resulting in 18 samples and a total of 656 rhodoliths. The collected rhodoliths were measured and the coralline algal components identified morphoanatomically through a stereomicroscope and SEM. Sediment on the seafloor mainly consisted of pebbles and cobbles; the highest rhodolith cover occurred between 15 and 18 m, and the lowest at the shallowest and deepest transects (9 and 24 m). Mean Rhodolith size was similar throughout the depth range (23–35 mm) with a slight increase at 24 m, although the largest rhodoliths occurred at 21 m. In monospecific rhodoliths, size depended more on the forming species than on depth. We found 25 non-geniculate coralline morphospecies, nearly all rhodolith-forming morphospecies reported in the Mediterranean Sea in recent accounts. The highest morphospecies richness (18–19) and proportional abundance were found at intermediate depths (15–18 m), where rhodolith cover is also highest. Lithophyllum incrustans and Lithophyllum dentatum dominated at shallow depths (9–12 m), whereas Lithothamnion valens was the dominant species at intermediate and greater depths. Overall, the latter species was the most common in the rhodolith bed. The shallow-water rhodolith bed in Punta de la Mona is probably the most diverse in the Mediterranean Sea. This highlights the importance of the conservation of this habitat and, in general, emphasizes the role of the Alborán Sea as a diversity center of coralline algae. The Punta de la Mona example contradicts the common assumption in the geological literature that rhodolith beds are indicative of oligophotic environments with high nutrients levels.Junta de Andalucía Research Group RNM 190EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 81336

Recurrent NOMO1 gene deletion is a potential clinical marker in early-onset colorectal cancer and is involved in the regulation of cell migration

The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC; age younger than 50 years) has been progressively increasing over the last decades globally, with causes unexplained. A distinct molecular feature of EOCRC is that compared with cases of late-onset colorectal cancer, in EOCRC cases, there is a higher incidence of Nodal Modulator 1 (NOMO1) somatic deletions. However, the mechanisms of NOMO1 in early-onset colorectal carcinogenesis are currently unknown. In this study, we show that in 30% of EOCRCs with heterozygous deletion of NOMO1, there were pathogenic mutations in this gene, suggesting that NOMO1 can be inactivated by deletion or mutation in EOCRC. To study the role of NOMO1 in EOCRC, CRISPR/cas9 technology was employed to generate NOMO1 knockout HCT-116 (EOCRC) and HS-5 (bone marrow) cell lines. NOMO1 loss in these cell lines did not perturb Nodal pathway signaling nor cell proliferation. Expression microarrays, RNA sequencing, and protein expression analysis by LC–IMS/MS showed that NOMO1 inactivation deregulates other signaling pathways independent of the Nodal pathway, such as epithelial–mesenchymal transition and cell migration. Significantly, NOMO1 loss increased the migration capacity of CRC cells. Additionally, a gut-specific conditional NOMO1 KO mouse model revealed no subsequent tumor development in mice. Overall, these findings suggest that NOMO1 could play a secondary role in early-onset colorectal carcinogenesis because its loss increases the migration capacity of CRC cells. Therefore, further study is warranted to explore other signalling pathways deregulated by NOMO1 loss that may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of the disease.This study was supported by the health research program of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, PI20/01569 and PI20/0974), co-funded by FEDER funds, and Mutua Madrileña Foundation (FMM20/001). A.M.-M was supported by a predoctoral research grant from the Dr. Moraza Fundation (FMoraza18/001). P.G.V and N.G.-U were supported by a predoctoral research grant from the Consejería de Educación—Junta de Castilla y León. A.N.H. was supported by the National Institutes of Health K12 HD043483 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Benthic Fauna of Littoral and Deep-Sea Habitats of the Alboran Sea: A Hotspot of Biodiversity

En prens

Glosario online de Análisis Matemático basado en Wiki

Memoria ID-312. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2013-2014

Estudio de viabilidad para la implantación de dobles titulaciones en la Facultad de Ciencias

Memoria ID-165. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2018-2019

Actualización del Museo Virtual de Zoología (II): ampliación de contenido y adaptación a diferentes tipos de pantallas y dispositivos

El proyecto de Innovación Docente Básico “Actualización del Museo Virtual de Zoología (II): ampliación de contenido y adaptación a diferentes tipos de pantallas y dispositivos” ha tenido por objetivos: 1. Adaptar la estructura informática al acceso desde dispositivos móviles con distinto tamaño de pantalla y permitir la edición de contenidos sin conocimientos de programación. 2. Ampliar y diversificar el contenido relacionado con cada una de las 300 especies incluidas en la web (videos, documentales, páginas webs especializadas, artículos y libros). - La adaptación de la estructura informática ha sido realizada por una empresa de consultores informáticos (julio-diciembre 2020). - Preparación de la editabilidad de las fichas del MVZ (diciembre 2020- mayo 2021), realizada por la misma empresa. - Simultáneamente el equipo del proyecto ha ido añadiendo las referencias del material sugerido en un documento Excel compartido. Todo ese material ha ido enlazando a la información ya disponible. Esta parte ha tardado más de lo esperado en realizarse por la dificultad en la búsqueda de los videos más relevantes en el aspecto docente, habiéndose extendido bastante en el tiempo (hasta febrero de 2022). - Volcado de la información ampliada en la estructura de la web (mayo 2021- marzo 2022). Todos los logros propuestos en el proyecto se han llevado a cabo y la evaluación de la herramienta ha sido satisfactoria, aunque siempre surgen cambios taxonómicos y novedades por corregir. Con la facilidad de la editabilidad de las fichas, estos cambios pueden realizarse por el personal técnico encargado de la colección. La aplicación práctica a la docencia de las asignaturas es muy importante, incluso se les recomienda a los alumnos el uso de la web para la preparación del examen práctico de las asignaturas de Zoología (grados Biología y Ciencias Ambientales) a través de PRADO.The project Update of the Virtual Museum of Zoology (II): expansion of content and adaptation to different types of screens and devices has had the following objectives: 1. To adapt the website structure so that it can be accessed from mobile devices with different screen sizes and to allow content editing without programming knowledge. 2. To expand and diversify the content related to each of the species included on the website (videos, specialised web pages, bibliography). - The adaptation of the website structure has been carried out by a company of IT consultants (July-December 2020). - Preparation of the editability of the VMZ data sheets (December 2020- May 2021) by the same company. - Simultaneously, the project team has been adding the references of the suggested material in a shared Excel document. All this material will be linked to the information already available. This part of the project has taken longer than expected due to the difficulty in finding the most relevant videos in the teaching aspect lasting until February 2022. - Uploading of the extended information in the web structure (May 2021- March 2022). All the goals proposed in the project have been achieved and the evaluation of the tool by the project team has been satisfactory, although there are always taxonomic changes and novelties to be corrected. With the ease of editing the cards, these changes can be made by the technical staff in charge of the collection. The practical application to teaching is very important, and students are even recommended to use the web for preparing the practical exam of the Zoology subjects (Biology and Environmental Sciences degrees) through PRADO.Unidad de calidad, innovación docente y prospectiva. Plan de Formación e Innovación Docente 2020-2022. Universidad de Granad

Adaptación al bilingüismo del material docente de prácticas de Zoología

El objetivo principal de este proyecto de innovación docente es la adaptación al bilingüismo, concretamente al inglés, del material de prácticas (presenciales y virtuales) de la asignatura de Zoología del grado de Biología. Este objetivo se enmarca dentro del actual proceso de internacionalización de la UGR, que en el caso concreto del grado de Biología se ha iniciado el curso académico 2021/2022 con algunas asignaturas impartidas en inglés. Aunque el bilingüismo en la asignatura de Zoología se ha retrasado hasta el curso 2022/2023.Universidad de Granad

“New Alien Mediterranean Biodiversity Records” (March 2021)

This article includes twenty (20) new records of alien and cryptogenic species in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to six (6) Phyla (Rhodophyta, Tracheophyta, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Bryozoa, and Chordata) distributed from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Sea of Alboran. The records are reported from nine (9) countries and can be classified into two categories: new records for the Mediterranean Sea and new records of non-indigenous species expanding within the Mediterranean Sea. The first category includes the gastropod Turbo radiatus from Lebanon coasts, the portunid crab Charybdis (Charybdis) natator from Tunis southern lagoon, the mollusc Thuridilla mazda from South Spain, and the nudibranch Okenia picoensis from the Alboran coasts of Spain and from Malta. The second category includes the bivalve Nudiscintilla cf. glabra from the Aegean coast of Turkey, the rhodophyte Colaconema codicola from the North Aegean coasts of Greece, the naked band gaper Champsodon nudivittis from the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. Also, the brachyuran Gonioinfradens giardi from the Greek Ionian waters, the codlet Bregmaceros nectabanus from the Croatian coasts of the Adriatic Sea, and the bryozoan Arbopercula tenella and copepod Parvocalanus crassirostris both from the Gulf of Trieste, Slovenian and Italian coasts, respectively. New records were also reported for the ascidian Distaplia bermudensis from brackish the Gulf of Naples, Italy, the damselfish Abudefduf cf. saxatilis and the seagrass Halophila stipulacea from Sardinia, Tyrrhenian Sea, and for the fish Paranthias furcifer from the harbour of Almeria, Alboran Sea, Spain. Through these records, an understanding of the expanding mechanisms and processes and, if possible, the development of mitigation measures within the region will be further facilitated